Beer may offer a surprising source of vitamin B6, a new study suggests. The vitamin, also known as pyridoxine, plays a crucial role in brain function, blood health and the immune system, as well as helping to reduce tiredness and fatigue. While the findings point to a measurable nutritional contribution from a pint, nutrition experts caution that alcoholic drinks should not be relied upon as a primary source of essential vitamins.
The B6 benefit in a glass
The raw ingredients used to brew beer — barley, wheat and brewer’s yeast — naturally contain vitamin B6. The new research, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, analysed 65 different beers bought from supermarkets in Germany using a novel analytical technique called SIDA LC–MS/MS, which allowed scientists to quantify various forms of the vitamin more accurately than before. The study found that a litre of beer typically contains between 0.3mg and 1mg of vitamin B6.
For context, the recommended daily allowance (RDA) in the UK is 1.4mg for men and 1.2mg for women, rising to around 1.9mg during pregnancy. An average lager in the study provided approximately 20 per cent of this RDA. One non-alcoholic lager, however, delivered nearly 59 per cent of the daily requirement. Crucially, non-alcoholic beers showed comparable — and in some cases higher — B6 levels than their full-strength counterparts. Where ethanol was removed after full fermentation, the B6 content remained largely intact, whereas beers brewed with yeasts that produce less alcohol had lower levels.
The type of beer mattered for B6 concentration. Traditional German bock beer, with its relatively high alcohol content and barley base, consistently had the highest levels. It was followed by lagers, dark lagers and wheat beers. Rice beers showed the lowest vitamin B6 content. Professor Michael Rychlik of the Technical University of Munich, the study’s lead author, noted that the vitamin content is measurable but not enough for regulators to allow an advertising claim, adding that the findings are useful “only for consumers who want to optimise their vitamin intake”.
Nutritional advice from experts
Bridget Benelam, a nutritionist at the British Nutrition Foundation, warned against viewing beer or any alcoholic drink as a “key source of nutrients”. She stressed that a balanced diet should be the foundation for meeting B6 needs. “Unless you are eating a very restricted diet, it’s unlikely that you are not going to be getting enough vitamin B6,” she said. Deficiency is rare given the vitamin’s widespread presence in food, but low levels can cause tiredness, mood changes and a weakened immune system.
Good dietary sources of vitamin B6 include meat and fish, as well as fortified breakfast cereals, chickpeas, porridge, bananas, potatoes, nuts and eggs. Ms Benelam also highlighted the importance of other B vitamins found in beer, such as B12 and B2, which are present in dairy and animal products. She reiterated that while beer can contribute a small amount of B6, it should never be relied upon as a primary source, and that overall diet — not alcohol — should provide the nutrients the body needs.